‘But, come now, where I shall take you, that we may get money.’
‘Come on, brother, since you know.’
So they took and departed. Then they came to the king’s, and considered how to get into his palace. And what did they devise?
Said the town thief, ‘Come, brother, and let us break into the palace, and let ourselves down one after the other.’
‘Come on.’
So they got on the palace, and broke through the roof; [[42]]and the country thief lowered himself, and took two hundred purses of money, and came out. And they went home.
Then the king arose in the morning, and looked at his money, and saw that two hundred purses of money were missing. Straightway he arose and went to the prison, where was an old thief. And when he came to him, he asked him, ‘Old thief, I know not who has come into my palace, and stolen from me two hundred purses of money. And I know not where they went out by, for there is no hole anywhere in the palace.’
The old thief said, ‘There must be one, O king, only you don’t see it. But go and make a fire in the palace, and come out and watch the palace; and where you see smoke issuing, that was where the thieves entered. And do you put a cask of molasses just there at that hole, for the thief will come again who stole the money.’
Then the king went and made a fire, and saw the hole where the smoke issues in the roof of the palace. And he went and got a cask of molasses, and put it there at the hole. Then the thieves came again there at night to that hole. And the thief from the country let himself down again; and as he did so he fell into the cask of molasses. And he said to his brother, ‘Brother, it is all over with me. But, not to do the king’s pleasure, come and cut off my head, for I am as good as dead.’
So his comrade lowered himself down, and cut off his head, and went and buried it in a wood.